Why are freight trucks so different from buses, break-down vehicles, refuse collectors, bus-trains and abnormal vehicles?
HONEST TRUCKERS are calling for clarity in the interpretation of overloading as stipulated by the Road Traffic Act.
There are two pieces of contrary legislation which make life difficult, according to Kevin Martin, chief executive (planning and control) of Durban-based Freightliner Transport, who points to the difference between technical and gross overloads.
A gross overload on a vehicle, he said, is one which exceeds the vehicle's load capacity.
Due to the fact that these limits are set - taking all the factors such as manufacturers' ratings; tyre design; and legal limits into account - this spells bad news, and is an accident waiting to happen.
A technical overload, on the other hand, refers to load distribution, he added.
That is, Martin said, a load that does not exceed the vehicle's capacity. But - due to the manner in which it has been loaded - one axle group is over the limit.
But the second piece of legislation which Martin questions, makes prosecution of most of these technical overloads unfair.
Why are freight trucks so different from buses, break-down vehicles, refuse collectors, bus-trains and abnormal vehicles, is the question he poses.
According to Martin's book of rules, the axle limit on a standard truck is 9 tons per axle, or 8-t on a tri-axle group.
However, he said, the first three categories of other vehicles are limited to 10.2-t; bus-trains to 10.2-t on one axle, and 9-t on any additional axles; and abnormals allowed to load in excess of 11-t per axle.
Now arises the oft-quoted statement from traffic authorities, he added, that an illegally-loaded axle causes up to eight times the road damage of one which is legally loaded.
This, said Martin, begs the obvious question: Does a 10.2-t legally loaded axle on a bus cause eight times more damage than a 9-t legally loaded axle on a truck?
And if the authorities recognise that different limits should be set for axle groups in a bus-train, why don't they grant the same latitude on the design of trucks and trailers.
If they allowed skeletal trailers and other vehicle configurations that 10.2-t they allow bus trains then technical overloads would decrease dramatically.
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